In the past several tools have been required to perform a combination of operations. To dig into relatively soft materials, hand tools such as spades, forks, and hoes are used. For lifting such materials from the ground, shovels and scoops of various types are used. To transport the scooped up material, a wheel barrow, a pick-up truck, a dump truck or a wagon is used. To unload the material, again shovels or a dump truck may be used. For removing debris from the bottom of small lakes or from sewer manholes, another tool called a clam shell or handi-clam is used. For catching fish special fishing equipment may be used. For removing water from a flooded basement, buckets may be used. For fighting forest fires, other tools may be used. To remove garbage from streets, manual methods are used. The garbage bags and cans are manually lifted, carried and dumped onto a garbage truck. For dredging small lakes, vacuuming apparatus and other power equipment may be used. For excavating and moving large quantities of dirt or soil, front end loaders and power shovels, costing $50,000 and up, are used. The above apparatus and equipment cannot get into small restricted areas to remove debris or dirt, and they require fuel to operate. The provision of adequate time for maintenance and the availability of spare parts for repairs are always a problem with power equipment, in addition to skilled labor costs.
Using the apparatus described herein, one may replace the operations and functions of the many tools described above with one tool. This one tool may be capable of outperforming any or all of them because of its automatic loading and unloading features.